


Jaime Lannister Investigations - Episode 10 of 13

by ShirleyAnn66



Series: Jaime Lannister Investigations [10]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: F/M, Modern AU, Remington Steele AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-16
Updated: 2017-12-03
Packaged: 2019-02-03 02:37:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12739287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShirleyAnn66/pseuds/ShirleyAnn66
Summary: Series Summary:The great detective, Jaime Lannister? He doesn’t exist. I invented him. It was working like a charm—until the day he walked in, with his green eyes and mysterious past.Episode 10:An unexpected death sends Jaime and Brienne in equally unexpected directions.





	1. Teaser

**Author's Note:**

> **A/N:** AAARRRRGGGHHHHH. It’s been a crazy month, and I have so much writing to do if I’m going win NaNo this year (like, 2600-2900 words per day kinda writing – aaaaaahhh!!!) *ahem* November’s been a fun month so far.  However, I’ve completed my final edits on my novel (goes live December 1st – eeek!!), so I should now be able to concentrate on NaNo and, when I need a break from writing, I’ll be editing and posting the next chapters/episodes.

Awesome banner by the equally awesome justme. :)

***/*/*/*/***

The days after Jaime and Brienne’s return from Essos pass much as always.  They take on new cases as they arrive, and Brienne and Bronna are smugly pleased when they discover Bitterbridge Security has closed its doors.

“Where do you think they’ve gone?” Jaime asks them.

“We don’t give a damn,” Bronna says, and Jaime laughs.

*/*/*/*/*

Maester Aemon pays them handsomely, thanks them for their help, and explains Maester Marwyn is notoriously absent-minded when he’s pursuing new evidence down whichever rabbit-hole it leads him.

“Was the pottery shard really from K’Dath?” Brienne asks.

“The other Maesters are still debating,” Aemon says, his voice dry.  “Marwyn swears to it, but I will let the others determine if the find is real or no.”  He sighs.  “I am worried; Marwyn is also notorious for forgetting to eat or sleep when he’s in the throes of discovery.  If he’s not careful, he will need to take another leave of absence to recover his health.”

“Another?”

“We are all academics.  We are also historians.  We all get immersed in the worlds we’re researching, sometimes to the detriment of our own health.  Of course, Marwyn’s last sabbatical was twenty-five years ago, more or less, so mayhaps I should stop holding it against him.”

Brienne stared unblinking at the man before she finally says, “Mayhaps.”

*/*/*/*/*

Jaime and Brienne spend their nights together at one or the other’s apartment, except for Thursdays, which is Brienne’s Girls’ Night with Bronna.  Jaime goes to Tyrion’s, if Tyrion is in town, and one Thursday, Jaime invites a rather forlorn-looking Sam to go with him to Tyrion’s.  Somehow, Jaime is not surprised that Tyrion and Sam immediately become fast friends.

They’ve become a close trio of friends, or as close as they can be when two of the three men cannot share too much about their work or their pasts.  Still, while Brienne and Bronna play trivia and talk about everything other than men and work, Jaime, Sam, and sometimes Tyrion, watch movies and talk about everything other than women and work, even if Jaime can barely follow one word in ten of the discussions between the other two men.

Jaime loves every moment of it, except for his empty bed at the end of the night.  It’s the only night he and Brienne spend alone in their apartments...for the first month.  Then, one Thursday, during their good-night phone call, Jaime can no longer resist the lure of Brienne’s softly slurring voice, and begs to come over.

She’s says yes without hesitation.

*/*/*/*/*

A slightly tipsy Brienne is as warmly affectionate as she sounds, and Jaime happily lies back on the couch with her sprawled on top of him.  The television has WNN playing low in the background, and a distant part of him thinks they should turn it off and go to bed, but Brienne is sleepily kissing him, and while she’s utterly delicious all the time, she’s especially so when she’s in this mood.  Besides, there’s no rush, even if they do have work in the morning.

Jaime has Brienne’s blouse unbuttoned, her breast warm in his hand, when the words he just heard sink in.

He freezes and pulls away to look at the television with a frown.  Brienne blinks and turns to give the TV a puzzled look.

The blandly attractive news anchor stares out at them with a somber face and says, “To repeat:  breaking news tonight - Robert Baratheon, Big Bobby B, the King of Rock and Roll...is dead.”

*/*/*/*/*


	2. One

**One**

“Robert ‘Big Bobby B’ Baratheon was found unresponsive at the house of a friend,” the reporter says.  “He was discovered on the bathroom floor after the friend called neighbours to help break through the door.  A cause of death has not yet been determined.”

The camera pans to show the gates of the Baratheon mansion festooned with flowers and cards, candles and photographs.

“Fans have been leaving tokens of their love and grief since the news broke late last night.”  The timbre of the reporter’s voice changes to one of subdued professional sorrow.  “The world is a dimmer place tonight without the King of Rock and Roll.”

Jaime turns off the TV with a scowl.

“Hey!” Bronna says.  “I was watching that!”

He scowls at her.  “I didn’t realize you were such a fan.”

Bronna rolls her eyes.  “Not really, but my stepmother is devastated.  Not that I care about that, either, but my father has to live with her.  I feel sorry for Tommen and Myrcella, though.  They’re too young to lose their dad like that.”

Jaime tosses the remote onto the boardroom table and walks out.

Bronna turns to Brienne with a frown.

“What did I say?” she demands.

Brienne shakes her head.  “Nothing.  Things are just... _complicated_.”

*/*/*/*/*

Jaime fields calls from Tyrion and Tywin, explaining to both of them, but Tywin especially, that he knows nothing and hasn’t heard from Cersei.  Cersei herself doesn’t call him until the third day.

Not that he wants her to call, really, but she _is_ the mother of his children...who have just lost the only father they have ever known.

“How are you holding up?” he asks her.

Cersei’s laugh is bitter and a little slurred.  “As if you care!”

“Of course I care, Cersei,” he says, and it’s true.  Cersei was the driving force in his life for his entire life, until he took on the mantle of Jaime Lannister and everything changed.  He may be struggling to come to terms with his life, and where he goes from here, and he may be learning to define and navigate a relationship with Brienne, but that doesn’t negate the love he once felt for Cersei.  Even more importantly, he cannot change everything he did for that love.

Cersei laughs again, even more strident.  “Then prove to me you love me.  Come over here.  _Now._ ”

“Cersei...”

“It’s what you’ve always wanted, isn’t it?  It’s the reason you wormed your way into that ‘detective’ agency, why you established yourself as the Great Detective Jaime Lannister, man about town.”

Jaime’s blood turns cold.  “What I’ve always wanted?”

“Me.  All to yourself.”

*/*/*/*/*

The story becomes more salacious, the headlines more glaring, as the days crawl by:

_Big Bobby B Found Dead in Love Nest!_

_Another Heir to the Baratheon Throne?  Baby Nineteen for the Late King of Rock and Roll!_

_Gored by the Boar!  Street Drug Found in Big Bobby B’s System!_

_Mhaegen Chataya, Mother of Big Bobby B’s Latest Love Child, Implicated in Rock Star’s Death_

_The Death of a King:  Prostitute and Mother of Love Child Charged with Involuntary Manslaughter; Pleads Not Guilty_

*/*/*/*/*

“Well,” Tyrion says with tentative relief, “at least we know Cersei’s in the clear.”

Jaime rubs his hand over his face.  “Do we?”

Tyrion raises and eyebrow.  “All right.  At least we know _you’re_ in the clear, right?”

“...right.”

*/*/*/*/*

The battle for control of Robert’s vast estate begins almost before his body has been taken to the morgue, and like almost everything else in the life of the King of Rock and Roll, it’s outsized, bombastic, and public.

Renly Baratheon files the first suit, demanding control of Big Bobby B’s estate, followed quickly by Stannis Baratheon.  Joffrey jumps into the fray almost immediately with his new girlfriend, Margaery Tyrell, doing her best to avoid choosing sides between her brother, Loras, who is also Renly’s husband, and the Crown Prince of Rock.  The tabloids and social media explode when it’s revealed Robert named the Lord Commander of the King’s Landing Gold Cloaks, Eddard Stark, as the sole executor of the vast Baratheon musical empire above his own brothers, son, and wife.  The popcorn really comes out, though, when Balon Greyjoy—a little known, one-hit wonder who had once seemed like a real contender to oust the King of Rock and Roll from the top of the charts—appears from the Iron Islands and claims Robert made _him_ executor years ago as way of apology for undisclosed professional reasons.  Greyjoy brandishes what appears to be a more recent will as proof.

Cersei, to her credit and Jaime’s surprise, remains calm and circumspect, supporting Joffrey in his quest to control the estate.  To her discredit—and to absolutely no one’s surprise—Cersei files motions to disinherit all of Robert’s children with other women, or at least demands each one undergo a paternity test prior to being included as a beneficiary of the estate.  Stannis’ demands that her own children do the same causes a social media explosion to rival the Great Burning of Westeros at the end of the Age of Magic.

“Well,” Tyrion says, “I suppose we should be grateful this is a more peaceful era.  There were times in our history when this kind of conflict could have only ended in war.”

*/*/*/*/*

The funeral is a spectacle of its own, and the media twists itself into an even more frenzied orgy of scandal when Sansa Stark arrives with her family in her first public appearance since she bolted from the sept on her wedding day.  Joffrey glares when he sees her but, thankfully, Margaery pulls him away before he can do or say anything to embarrass everyone.

Jaime and Brienne close ranks around Sansa.  Catelyn begged them to provide personal security for Sansa at the funeral since she’s been receiving death threats from some of Joffrey’s more rabid fans.  While no one considers the threats to be credible, emotions are running even higher than usual since the unexpected death of the King of Rock and Roll, and it’s better to be safe than sorry.  Petyr Baelish is also there, as a representative of Robert’s business interests in the Vale, and Brienne’s eyes narrow as she watches the solicitous way he glues himself to Sansa’s side.  Brienne makes a mental note to ask Bronna if she’s spoken with Sansa lately as she listens with half-an ear to Catelyn.

“Petyr’s been so kind,” Catelyn is saying, her eyes heavy and dark as she, too, watches Baelish and Sansa.  “He’s taking such good care of all of us, ever since Lysa...then Sansa...” she trails off, and Brienne gives her a concerned look.

“Are you all right?” she asks, frowning.

Catelyn nods.  “I’ve been having trouble sleeping lately,” she says.  “Sweet Robin has been acting out, now that he understands his parents are truly never coming back.  Petyr gave me a sleeping pill last night and it hasn’t completely worn off yet.”

Brienne nods.  She turns her head and meets the far-too-watchful gaze of Petyr Baelish, watching them with bright-eyed interest.

*/*/*/*/*

“I don’t like him,” she growls in Jaime’s ear later than evening as they escort the Starks back to the Baratheon mansion for a more private, but no less fraught, gathering.

“Neither do I,” he growls back, but his eyes are on Cersei, where she’s huddled with a willowy blonde man in a corner, having a heated conversation.  He nods and says, “Who is that?”

Brienne glances over at the arguing pair.  “Lancel Lannister,” she says.

He frowns.  “Who?”

“Of Lannister, Kettleblack, Pycelle and Moon Boy, LLP.”

His expression clears.  “Ah.”

They covertly watch the couple as they continue to argue for a several more minutes before Cersei shakes her head and flounces away.

“What do you think that was about?” Jaime murmurs.

“Mayhaps his bill,” Brienne says drily.  Jaime glances at her and Brienne shrugs again.  “No need for a divorce, now, is there?”

*/*/*/*/*

The next several weeks are relatively quiet, although there are headlines in the entertainment media every day breathlessly announcing the latest developments in the ongoing and increasingly heated battle over Robert’s vast estate.  Jaime, however, is getting more and more distracted.  He’s still as engaged in their cases as ever, and Brienne has absolutely no complaints about his lovemaking skills or his desire for her, but more and more often, she finds him staring off into space with a pensive frown on his face.

Finally, she’s had enough.  Brienne leads them into the apartment one night then turns to glare at him.

He blinks.  “What?”

“What’s going on with you?” she says, hands on her hips, foot tapping.

Jaime sighs and shakes his head.  “I guess this is why you’re a detective, huh?”

“Don’t try to avoid the question.”

“I’m not.”  He sighs again and strolls up to her, slipping his arms around her waist and tugging her close.  He buries his face against her neck and takes a deep breath.  “You smell so good,” he mutters, planting a kiss in the place where her neck meets her shoulder.

“Don’t try to distract me, either,” she snaps, although she wraps her arms around him and holds him close.

He chuckles, his breath ghosting against her nerve endings, his day-old whiskers tickling her skin.  He lifts his head and meets her gaze.

“They’re my children,” he says, “and they’ve lost the only father they’ve ever known.  If Stannis is successful in his motion to force Tommen and Myrcella to undergo paternity tests, they’ll lose him again in a different way.”

Brienne frowns.  “Are you thinking you might step forward if that’s the case?  Claim them?”

Jaime sighs.  “I don’t know.  I don’t know the terms of Robert’s will, of course, but there shouldn’t be any financial hardships due to their parentage.  Cersei’s claim as an heir to the estate shouldn’t be contingent upon the paternity of the children.  As far as I know, that was only a condition in the pre-nuptial agreement.  However, there’s more to consider than simply any financial hardships they may suffer.  The media frenzy would simply start again...or continue, it’s difficult to tell.  And what about Joffrey?  I don’t know if Cersei has told him she’s his mother, but at least Robert legally adopted him with his second wife...whether that was good for Joffrey or not is a different question.  Then there’s the potential impact on the agency.”

Brienne frowns as he finishes speaking.  “We would weather the scandal,” she says.

Jaime smiles and kisses her.  “You, I think, will be able to weather anything, as will Sam and Bronna.  But the media attention would be brutal, and we—meaning Tywin, Tyrion and I—have spent our lives in the shadows, and we’re very good at that, but would we be able to withstand the heat of the media spotlight turned to ten thousand degrees?”  He sighs and shakes his head.  “Beside the fact the statute of limitations may not have run out on everything, I also don’t want to put the children through it unless it becomes absolutely necessary.  Not to mention...would the agency be able to survive the revelation that the Great Detective Jaime Lannister doesn’t truly exist, because you know that would eventually be discovered.”

“I doubt the agency would survive, at least but we’d be all right,” she says.  She gives him a flicker of a smile.  “I’m not saying I’ll support whatever you decide to do, because I hope you would talk to me first, if possible.  However, I’m no longer sleeping on Bronna’s sofa and I won’t need to any time soon, even if I lose every single one of my clients...although I would still hunt you down like the dog you are if you destroy the agency.”

Jaime smiles and tightens his arms around her, stroking his hand over her back.  “Good to know,” he murmurs, and kisses her.

*/*/*/*/*

Another scandal finds them first and the headlines are almost as hysterically blaring as the ones immediately following Robert Baratheon’s death:

_The Stark Truth:  Sex, Lies, and Embezzlement—Lord Commander Eddard Stark Exposed!_

_“Stark Stole My Inheritance!”  The Crown Prince of Rock Speaks!_

_“TRAITOR!” Joffrey Baratheon Confronts Eddard Stark; Turns Physical_

_Broken Trust; Broken Promises—Sources Close to Stark Family Reveal Devastation Following Patriarch’s Arrest_

_Standing By Her Man?  Catelyn Stark’s Broken Heart_

*/*/*/*/*

None of them are surprised when Arya Stark walks into the agency and says, “We need your help.”

*/*/*/*/*


	3. Two

***/*/*/*/***

“What do you know?” Brienne asks, setting a cup of tea in front of Arya.

Arya wraps her hands around the cup and hunches in on herself.  “There’s apparently proof that my father stole a large amount of cash and put it in a bank account on the Summer Isles.”  She sits up, her face set with a belligerent glare.  “He would never do such a thing!  My father is an honorable man!”

Jaime makes soothing motions with his hands and says, “We know.  Tell us what happened.  How did this come to the attention of the police?”

She shrugs.  “An anonymous tip came into the station; told them it looked like somebody was embezzling money from the Baratheon estate.  The Gold Cloaks followed the trail until it led them to my father’s name, then they called in the Kingsguard to re-do the investigation.”  She frowns.  “It doesn’t make sense, though!  We were told the embezzlement has been going for a while—almost a year!  But how would my father have gained access to everything before Robert died?  Uncle Jon himself hasn’t even been gone that long!”

Jaime and Brienne exchange a puzzled frown.  “Good question,” Brienne murmurs.  “How is everyone holding up?”

Arya rolls her eyes.  “You haven’t been following the tabloids?  I’m lucky I managed to get here without being seen!”

“How did you manage that?” Jaime asks, curious.

Arya smiles.  “I’ve been taking drama classes this term.  It’s amazing how you can change your face with a little makeup and putty.”

Jaime smiles then sobers.  “Seriously; how is everyone doing?”

Arya shrugs.  “Bran and Rickon are doing okay, I think.  I doubt Rickon understands what’s going on, and Bran has always been one to sit back and observe things before doing anything.  Jon is trying to keep the Gold Cloaks from turning on Father and Sansa, well, to her credit, she’d taking care of Sweet Robin while Mother...”  She trails off and frowns.

“What’s going on with your mother?” Brienne asks.

She sighs.  “Robb is _really_ pissed, especially with the way Joffrey punched Father in the courtroom during Father’s arraignment.”  She shakes her head.  “I mean, Joffrey didn’t even make Father’s nose bleed, but still.  Robb threatened to kill the little shit, and he and a bunch of other Gold Cloaks have launched their own investigation, but they’re more focused on finding dirt on Joffrey than on proving Father’s innocence.  Mother is...well, she’s…”  Arya frowns, then says, “She’s been _distracted_.  She doesn’t truly know where to turn right now, but she’s mostly trying to keep Robb from doing something stupid.  Uncle Petyr agrees that’s where Mother needs to focus, and he’s taking care of all of us while Mother’s otherwise occupied, and Father’s in jail.”

Arya’s voice cracks on those last words.  She takes a hasty sip of tea then says, “I don’t believe any of it.  About Father, I mean.  And I want you to prove it.”

*/*/*/*/*

Brienne escorts Arya out of the agency, then asks Bronna and Sam to join them in the boardroom.  She sits down and frowns as she stares sightlessly at WNN, where another blandly attractive news reporter is talking about the latest victim of the Dreadfort Killer.

She shakes her head and returns to the present as Sam and Bronna arrive and she and Jaime brief them on their new case.

“Where do you want us to start?” Bronna says.

Jaime shrugs. “The easiest place:  let’s see if we can get a copy of the evidence and then follow the money.”

*/*/*/*/*

Acting Lord Commander Randyll Tarly hears them out, then slowly smiles.

“No,” he says, and sends them away.

*/*/*/*/*

“Well,” Jaime says with a sigh as they drive back to the office, “we did it your way first.  Can we do it my way now?”

*/*/*/*/*

Jaime slips into bed beside Brienne and she snuffles awake as he presses his chilled body against her beneath the warm cocoon of blankets.

“Jaime?” she mumbles.

He slides his hand along her flank as he snuggles closer.  “Go back to sleep, Brienne,” he purrs, “and if anyone asks, I was here all night.”

“Oh, gods...” she groans, burying her face against his shoulder.

He laughs and kisses her, then kisses her again.  “...unless you’re in no hurry to go back to sleep?”

She scowls before she snuggles closer and kisses him.

*/*/*/*/*

They meet at Tyrion’s house, where Tyrion gives Bronna a thoughtful look that she returns.

“ _Really_?” Jaime says.  “We don’t have time for this.”

Tyrion winks at Bronna.  “We’ll talk later,” he says.

Bronna slowly smiles.  “Yes, we will.”

“Can we work?” Sam groans.

“Absolutely,” Tyrion says, and leads the way to his den, where there are stacks of pictures spread out over a table.  “These are photographs of what we think are the relevant portions of the case file against Eddard Stark.”

“Do we want to know how you acquired these?” Bronna says.

“Definitely not.”

She nods.  “Why pictures?”

“Lord Commander Tarly is keeping as much of the evidence as possible off-line,” Brienne says and shrugs at their puzzled frowns. “I have no idea why; mayhaps he’s worried Jon Snow or Robb Stark will try to access the database?  Destroy evidence?”

“Most likely it’s because he’s a control freak,” Sam mutters.  “He probably just doesn’t think he can trust the electronic systems to track evidence correctly or keep it safe.”

“Be that as it may,” Jaime says, “we only have pictures to work with.  Let’s hope we find something here that gives us a lead.”

*/*/*/*/*

They read and make notes, then at the end of the day, they compare notes.

“This phone call,” Brienne says in thoughtful tones, “it’s... _odd_.”

“Odd, how?” Tyrion says.

Brienne pulls out the transcript and scowls at it.  “The caller says they think somebody’s embezzling from the Baratheon Corporation, not the estate.”  She drums her fingers on the table as she thinks.  “They also say it’s been going on for a while.  Like Arya said, how would Ned have gotten access to Robert’s accounts before he became executor of the estate?”

Jaime shrugs as he tosses his pen on the table and leans back in his chair.  “The same way any other criminal would, or...”  He stops, his eyes widening.

“Or?”

“Or it was Jon Arryn, and Ned was in on it.”

Sam scowls.  “What we need are the financial records from the Baratheon Corporation, going back several years.”

“Yes,” Jaime says.

“Even if we can get into the records,” Brienne says, then pauses as her companions all turn and give her gimlet stares.  “Right,” she groans, rubbing her forehead, “forgot who I was talking to for a moment.  All right:  how are we going to analyze the information?  We’re good, but what we really need is a forensic accountant.  And we can’t hire anyone, because if they figure out what they’re analyzing, I’ll get arrested—or worse:  lose my license!”

Jaime and Tyrion’s eyes meet.  Tyrion tilts his head in question.

“No,” Jaime says, shaking his head.

“Do you have another idea?”

Jaime clenches his jaw, a muscle jumping in his cheek, then sighs.  “No.”

The others watch them with scowls.

“Who are you talking about?” Bronna demands.

Jaime and Tyrion exchange another glance, then say, “Tywin.”

*/*/*/*/*

They send Sam to get the financial data, and Tyrion to talk to Tywin.

“If you can keep me out of it, I’d appreciate it,” Jaime says.

Tyrion shrugs.  “I’ll do my best, but you know he’s going to know.  You’re just going to have to owe him one.”

Jaime sighs and hangs his head.  “Wonderful,” he mutters.

*/*/*/*/*

While the financial data is being analyzed, Jaime and Brienne do some old-fashioned detective work.  They start with Jon Snow and Robb Stark, but quickly run into dead ends.  To Randyll Tarly’s credit—or discredit—he’s managed to keep the two police officers who are closest to Ned completely isolated from the investigation.  The only evidence Robb, Jon, and those supporting Robb have is what’s been disclosed in the newspapers.

Tarly has also made sure no one will talk to either Robb or Jon, and Ned hasn’t given permission to his lawyers to share evidence with anyone, either, including Jaime and Brienne.

“Arya should never have hired you,” he says, when they get permission to visit him in prison.

“She’s convinced of your innocence,” Brienne says briskly, “and she wants to do what she can to prove it.”

“She’s a child,” Ned says.  “She needs to leave well enough alone.”

Brienne frowns.  Ned meets her gaze with a steady one of his own, his gray eyes calmly defiant.

“You can’t fire us,” she says.

Ned’s mouth quirks in a small smile.  “The thought never even crossed my mind.  I am, however, asking you to quit.”

“We can’t do that,” she says.  “We promised Arya we’d look into the case, and so we will.”

Jaime leans forward, a slight frown on his handsome face.  “Are you worried we’re going to find evidence that will prove your guilt?”

Ned’s small smile twists into something bitter.  “I think we’re done here,” he says and calls for the guards.

*/*/*/*/*

“That...was the strangest conversation,” Jaime says as Brienne drives back to the office.

Brienne nods, scowling, her hands tightening on the wheel.  “Do you think he’s guilty?”

Jaime shakes his head.  “I don’t know what to think.”

*/*/*/*/*

Bronna and Sam listen to them with matching frowns, then Bronna says, “You knows there are rumors Catelyn Stark is having an affair with Petyr Baelish, right?”

Brienne frowns.  “Yes,” she says, “I remember that story.  When Ned was arrested, there was a news story about a rumored sex tape or pictures or something.  Anyway, there’s supposed to be some kind of real proof out there.”

Bronna nods.  “That’s what I’m talking about.”

“So,” Jaime says, “what?  Do you think Ned’s discovered Catelyn’s infidelity and decided he may as well spend the rest of his life in prison?”

Bronna shrugs.  “Or maybe he began embezzling because he intended to leave her and take the kids and live somewhere she could never find him.”

Brienne stares unblinking at her.  “That’s just...wrong.”

Bronna buries her head in her arms.  “I know.  I’m just grasping at straws.”

Brienne sighs and says, “We’ve barely started investigating,” she says, “it’s too early to give up hope.”  She turns to Sam.  “Any idea when the forensic accounting might be completed?”

Sam shakes his head.  “Another week, maybe two.  Big Bobby B’s corporation and investments are massive, and if the embezzler is clever, they will have been careful to cover their tracks.”

“Great,” Jaime mutters.

They sit in glum silence then Sam’s face lights up and he says, “I wonder…” and rushes out of the boardroom.

The others exchange bemused looks.

“Wanna chase after him?” Bronna says.

Jaime shakes his head.  “He’ll tell us when he’s ready,” he says.  He leans back in his chair, grabs the remote, and turns on the TV.

Brienne rolls her eyes.  “Well, I have real work to do.”

“Insurance fraud,” Jaime sniffs and gives her a sly grin.

*/*/*/*/*

Sam’s back in an hour, his chins wobbling with excitement as he waves a piece of paper while he calls them into the boardroom.

“What is it?” Bronna says as they hurry after him.

“A lead!” Sam crows.

Jaime’s eyebrow goes up.  “Explain.”

“I traced the anonymous tip.”

“To a person?” Brienne says, grabbing the paper out of his hand.

Sam deflates.  “No, not a person.  But definitely a location.  The call came from the Vale.  And that reminded me that the Vale branch of the Baratheon Corporation was showing some financial anomalies, back when we were investigating the Jon Arryn case.”

Jaime and Brienne’s eyebrows shoot up.

“I took a quick look through the financial records for the Vale branch that are in the case file.”

“Those anomalies are still there?” Jaime asks.

“Those anomalies are still there…and getting bigger.”

*/*/*/*/*


	4. Three

***/*/*/*/***

The drive to the Eyrie is winding, the road narrow, the drop-off steep.  Brienne’s hands grip her seatbelt so tightly, her knuckles gleam white.

“You don’t like heights?” Jaime asks.

“Not these ones.”

“I don’t blame you,” he says, keeping his attention on the road in front of him.  He drives in tense silence then brightens.  “You know, if we take a tour to the ruins at the top of the Eyrie, then have sex there, I think that would technically make us members of the Mile High Club.”

Brienne slowly turns her head to glare at him.  “Are you serious?” she growls

Jaime grins. “Think about it,” he says.

*/*/*/*/*

They’re recognized the moment they walk in the front doors of the Baratheon Corporation, and Jaime’s charm is on full display as a harried looking man bustles towards them.

“Mr. Lannister?” he says, holding out his hand.  “I’m Harys Swyft, President of the Vale Division of Baratheon Corporation.”  His smile is nervous.  “To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?”

“We’ve been asked to investigate the charges of embezzlement that have been laid against Eddard Stark,” Brienne says, her voice brisk.

Swyft frowns as he looks her up and down. “And you are...?”

Jaime says, “If you know who I am, then you know who she is, since she is seldom far from my side.  This is Brienne Tarth, my...most trusted associate.”

Brienne flushes at Jaime’s momentary verbal fumble, but refuses to let herself be distracted.  She gives Swyft a thin smile.

“We would like to talk to your employees, if we may,” she says.

He looks taken aback.  “I can’t just let you in!  And I can’t just let you ask my employees anything you want!”

Jaime raises an eyebrow.  “Who would need to give you permission to let us speak with your employees?”

Swyft opens his mouth, then closes it again with a frown.  “Well...I suppose...Mrs. Baratheon?  I mean...or Joffrey Baratheon, if he’s the executor...or...or any Baratheon will do, I suppose?”

Jaime smiles.  “I’ll take care of it.”

*/*/*/*/*

Cersei is confused and not inclined to be cooperative, but in the end, Jaime plays on her desire for control and wealth.

“Don’t you want to know what’s truly going on in the estate?” Jaime says.  “What if it isn’t Ned?  That means whoever is embezzling is still out there, and will just continue to steal from you and the children until you’re left with nothing.  Are you sure you want to take that risk?”

She’s silent for a long time, and Jaime holds his breath.

“Put whatshisname on the phone,” she finally snaps.

*/*/*/*/*

Swyft ushers them into an expensively furnished boardroom with a sniff.

“What do you need from me?” he asks.

“A list of your employees and their roles,” Brienne says.

“We’ll let you know tomorrow which ones we wish to interview,” Jaime adds.

*/*/*/*/*

Sam runs background checks on all the names Swyft provides.

“For the most part, there’s nothing unusual,” he tells them later that night.  Jaime and Brienne are back in their hotel room, Sam’s call on speaker phone.  “In terms of a criminal record, most are squeaky clean.  A few minor offenses:  a couple of drunk and disorderlies, an assault charge as a result of a bar fight, unpaid speeding tickets, one DUI fifteen years ago.  However, there’s one guy...I can’t find any information on him that’s more than a couple years old.”

*/*/*/*/*

Josper Perryn is thin, bordering on skinny, with something that seems to want to be a beard growing on his face.  He’s in his mid-thirties, and while his face is calm, his hands are shaking as he clasps them together on the table in front of him.

Jaime gives him a charming smile as he pours water into the glass that’s in front of the younger man.

“This won’t take long,” Jaime says, putting the jug down.  “We also have coffee if you would prefer that?”

Josper shakes his head.  “What’s this all about?”

“I’m sure you’ve heard about the allegations that Eddard Stark has been embezzling from the Baratheon estate?”

Josper nods.  “What does that have to do with me?”

“We don’t know,” Brienne says, her voice calm and soothing.  “Possibly nothing.  We’ve been hired to look into the situation and we’re going to all the subsidiaries of the Baratheon Corporation to complete a thorough investigation.  Now, Mr. Perryn, you work...where, in the organization?”

“A…Accounts Payable.”

Jaime and Brienne nod, and Jaime jots down a note on the pad of paper in front of him.  He notices Josper’s eyes widen as he takes in the gold hand.

Jaime shrugs.  “A conceit,” he murmurs.  “You work in Accounts Payable.  Have you ever noticed a payment that seemed odd to you?”

Josper grabs the glass and takes a gulp.  “I...I’m just a low-level clerk.  By the time the invoices get to me, they’ve already been thoroughly vetted and I just issue payments.”

Brienne raises an eyebrow.  “Which doesn’t answer the question.  Have you ever noticed, for example, a company name that appears more often than others?”

Josper shrugs.  “That’s to be expected,” he says, and his shoulders relaxes a little.  “We do more business with some companies than others.”

“Of course,” Brienne murmurs.  “You simply process invoices?”

Josper nods.  “After they’ve been thoroughly vetted by a finance manager and approved by the CFO—I mean, the Chief Financial Officer.”  He gives them a nervous smile.  “I have a cubicle in the basement, and that’s where I like to stay.  I’m not very social,” he says, almost apologetically.  “I haven’t even _seen_ the CFO, or met half the finance managers in our branch.  I just...approve payments in the system.”  He shrugs.  “I like it that way.”

Jaime frowns.  “CFO,” he murmurs, and picks up the list of names and titles Swyft had given them.  There are checkmarks against several of them.  He scans the list and says, “I don’t see the CFO on this list.  Who would that be?”

“Petyr Baelish.”

*/*/*/*/*

They continue the interview for another ten minutes, then let a visibly-relieved Josper leave.

Brienne escorts him to the door, then makes sure she locks it behind him.

She strolls back to the table, where Jaime is getting the fingerprint powder out of her bag, along with the tape needed to lift Josper’s prints from the glass.

They work in thoughtful silence and Jaime’s in the process of thoroughly wiping the glass down when he gives her a thoughtful look and says, “I forgot Baelish worked here.”

Brienne nods.  “So did I.”

*/*/*/*/*

They interview several more staff members after Josper, then return to King’s Landing.  Despite his cajoling, Brienne refuses to postpone their departure in order to visit the ruins at the top of the Eyrie.  Jaime pouts all the way home while Brienne simply laughs at him.

They give the fingerprints they pulled off the glass to Sam to scan and check against databases Brienne isn’t entirely certain he should actually be able to access, then she and Jaime turn their attention to Petyr Baelish.

Brienne sits down behind her desk with a thoughtful scowl. “Do you think we’re following this lead because we only _hope_ Baelish is involved somehow?”

“Probably,” Jaime says, sprawled in the chair in front of the desk.  “But we both know he was behind Jon Arryn’s death, so he’s definitely guilty of _something_.”  Jaime shrugs and pushes to his feet to lean over the desk and give her a quick kiss.  “Here’s hoping we find evidence this time.”

*/*/*/*/*

Sam’s grin is wide as Jaime and Brienne stroll into his office the next morning.

“Good timing,” he says, “I just got a hit on the print.”

They lean over his shoulder as he points at the screen.

“Josmyn Peckledon?” Jaime says, and frowns.  “Any relation to Pia?”

Brienne abruptly straightens.  “Her soon-to-be-ex-husband...”

Jaime’s eyes widen as he stares at her.  “...who disappeared after embezzling millions from the museum.”

*/*/*/*/*


	5. Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Warnings:** Brief violence and blood. Mentions of rape/sexual abuse, and drug use.

***/*/*/*/***

Pia’s pretty face scrunches with confusion.

“You want to know about _Jos_?”  She shakes her head.  “I haven’t heard from him in two years!”

“We’re more interested in what caused him to disappear in the first place,” Brienne says. 

Pia’s confusion morphs into contempt.  “He disappeared because he’s a low-life, cowardly liar and thief, who ran away because he didn’t want to face the consequences once he was caught!”

Jaime nods, and says, “Yes, yes, we understand; however, we want to know about the crime itself.”

“There’s not much to tell.  He created dummy companies, issued contracts to those dummy companies, then invoiced against those contracts.”  Pia sniffs.  “Detective Tarly said he wasn’t even all that creative with his crime.”

“How was the scam uncovered?”

“The auditors stumbled across several contracts where the companies all had bank accounts in the Summer Isles.  When they dug deeper, they discovered there were five bank accounts shared across several hundred contracts.”

“So many?”

Pia shrugs.  “The contracts were all small so never hit the radar.  We were doing a lot of renovations at the time, so lots of contracts were being issued and paid.  We were so busy, those contracts easily slipped past the radar of everyone in the finance department.”  She sighs and shakes her head.  “Still, Petyr was devastated.  He did move on to bigger and better things at the Baratheon Corporation in the Vale, but he told me he was really leaving because he felt like he failed the museum.”

“Was the money ever recovered?” Brienne asks.

“From the Summer Isles?  Good luck!  Rich people use those banks to hide their money for a reason!”

“Where do you think Jos is now?”

“Probably somewhere in Essos, chasing after mythical beasts, or doing all he can to spend the money he stole.  _Bastard_.”

*/*/*/*/*

Brienne watches as Jaime readies for bed with a pensive expression.

“What do you think?” he says.  “Josmyn Peckledon or Petyr Baelish?”

Brienne shifts a little against the pillows with a frown.  “If Peckledon stole millions, then ran off with the money, why would he be back in Westeros and working at the Baratheon Corporation?”

“And pulling off the same scam, I suspect.”

Brienne is momentarily distracted as a naked Jaime strolls to the bed and slips beneath the covers beside her.

He gives her a wicked smile and a kiss, then sobers.  “Still...” he says, “some people never have enough money.  Or he lost it all in the casinos of Sunspear.  Or someone stole it from him.”

“Or it’s not him at all.”

Jaime raises an eyebrow and waits for her to continue.

She drums her fingers against her blanketed thigh, then slowly says, “Ned is the spoiler.”

Jaime nods.  “Not even Randyll Tarly is incompetent enough to arrest Ned Stark if the evidence didn’t support it.”

“Do you honestly believe Lord Commander Eddard Stark, whose entire career is built on his integrity, is guilty of embezzlement?”

Jaime laughs.  “Absolutely not, but he’s also not doing anything to help his case.  Either he’s guilty and wants to confess or...”

“Or he’s protecting someone.”

“Right.  With rumors swirling that Catelyn’s having an affair with Baelish, including the existence of pictures and/or videos, and with Baelish still completely and publicly enmeshed within the Stark family...”  He gives an expressive shrug.

“Do you think Ned believes the rumours are true?”

“We’d have to ask him, but I would guess no...but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t think Catelyn’s mixed up in something else, like embezzlement.”

Brienne scowls.  “That’s quite a leap to make, don’t you think?”

“True.”  He turns to her.  “It may be much simpler than that.”

She raises an eyebrow in question.

He says, “Baelish has loved Catelyn all his life, right?  Maybe it’s as simple as framing Ned so he can have Catelyn all to himself.”

*/*/*/*/*

Tywin’s contacts finally come through with their report:  multiple small-dollar contracts were issued to companies that didn’t exist; invoices were then paid against those contracts; money was sent to half-a-dozen bank accounts in the Summer Isles.  Even with all the checks and balances in place, the scheme is ridiculously simple, blatant, and easily achieved once one knows the soft spots in the system of checks and balances that can be manipulated.

Jaime and Brienne sit back and look at each other. 

“Back to the Vale?” he asks.

“Back to the Vale,” she says.

*/*/*/*/*

Josper Perryn aka Josmyn Peckledon is both defiant and terrified as he sits across from them in the boardroom of the Baratheon Corporation.

“I should have been suspicious of that fucking glass,” he mutters after they tell him how they discovered his true identity.

Brienne’s smile is thin.  “Be that as it may, it doesn’t look good for you.”

Josmyn’s shoulders slump in defeat.  “No,” he says mournfully.

“Tell us what happened,” Jaime says.  “Both at the museum and here.”

Jos sighs.  “I know you won’t believe me, but I truly am innocent.  I think I was just a convenient scapegoat for what happened at the museum.  When I learned the Gold Cloaks were on their way to arrest me, I just...I panicked.  Running seemed like the only chance I had to prove my innocence.”

“You started working here less than a year ago,” Brienne says.

Jos nods.  “Once it seemed like I had managed to evade the police, I finally had time to think about who could have been the real embezzler.”

“And who might that be?”

“Illyrio Mopatis.”

Jaime and Brienne blink and sit back in their chairs.

“Illyrio Mopatis?  _What_?” Jaime says.

Jos nods.  “Illyrio was the Museum Director.  He received the auditors’ reports that flagged at least some of the contracts as suspicious and recommended further investigation.”

“And how do you know what the auditors’ reports said?” Brienne demands.

Jos shrugs and looks sheepish.  “I’ve made some... _interesting_ friends in the last couple of years,” he mumbles.  Then he straightens and leans forward.  “But here’s the thing:  Mopatis couldn’t have done it alone.  There was too much of it for any one person to do it by themselves and not get caught somewhere in the process.”

“So who was his partner?”

“Petyr Baelish.  He was the Chief Financial Officer at the museum.  He would have received a first draft of the auditors’ reports, too.  Not that I can legally prove what happened at the museum, but I can definitely prove what he’s been doing here, at the Baratheon Corporation.”

*/*/*/*/*

They take Jos to his rather dingy, one-bedroom basement apartment, where he spreads out scraps of paper with cryptic notes and shows them a spreadsheet on his encrypted laptop, and explains how each invoice and each contract can be traced back, eventually, to Petyr Baelish.

“Of course,” Jos says, “just like at the museum, this is too large an operation to be a one-man show.”

Jaime raises an eyebrow.  “Harys Swyft?”

Jos spreads his hands in a shrug.  “It must be; how else would Baelish be able to hide all of this from someone who would actually do something about it?”

Brienne nods then says, “You know Ned Stark was arrested for embezzlement, right?”

Jos sighs.  “I heard.  I think it was my fault.”

“ _Your_ fault?” Jaime frowns.  “How could it be--?”  His eyes widen.  “You’re the one who called in the tip, aren’t you?”

Jos nods.  “I know the evidence is there.”  He gestures at everything he’s shown them.  “Obviously.  I also knew the embezzlement would be easy to find once somebody knew where to look.  I didn’t think, though, that Baelish and Swyft created the trail to lead back to Ned Stark, of all people!  I mean, I don’t know him or his family well, of course, except as staunch supporters of the museum, but Stark’s reputation as an incorruptible cop is legendary!”

“True,” Jaime murmurs.

“Why didn’t you come forward with all this evidence after Ned was arrested?” Brienne asks.

“Are you _mad_?  I’m wanted for embezzlement myself!  They’re not going to believe me, and are only going to think I’m the guilty one again!”

Jaime’s eyes narrow.  “Why did they think you were the guilty one in the first place?”

Jos shakes his head.  “They put my name on the accounts in the Summer Isles.”  His smile is bitter.  “They thought of everything.”

*/*/*/*/*

They drive back to King’s Landing, and put Jos up at a motel.

“Stay out of sight until we come get you,” Jaime says.

“I’ll have Bronna and Sam bring you food,” Brienne adds.  “If we can get access to the records for the museum case, you shouldn’t be in hiding for long.”

They close the door on his slightly forlorn face and head back to Brienne’s apartment.

“I suppose he could have stayed at your place,” Brienne says as they tiredly head to her bedroom.

“Are you kidding?” Jaime says as he grabs her hand and swings her round and into his arms.  “With the way my ‘family’, for lack of a better word, goes in and out of that place, it’s much more private in a motel.”

Brienne buries her face against his neck and snickers.  “Good point.”

*/*/*/*/*

Catelyn looks dazed as Petyr escorts her into the boardroom, her daughters close on their heels.  Sansa looks nervous while Arya just looks like she wants to kill someone and she no longer cares who it is.

Baelish’s smile is polished and cool, his eyes arrogantly amused as he takes a seat between Catelyn and Sansa.  “Catelyn and I were very surprised when Arya told us she’d hired you.”

Brienne’s smile is even cooler.  “We’re just waiting for one more guest and then we’ll get started,” she says.

Catelyn’s smile is vaguely polite and fleeting.

Brienne’s eyes narrow as she takes in the unfocused look in the other woman’s eyes.  Petyr notices the focus of her attention and puts a solicitous arm around Catelyn’s shoulders, murmuring softly in her ear.  Sansa looks away, shifting uncomfortably, while Arya’s eyes shoot daggers at everyone in their way.

Petyr turns back to Jaime and Brienne, his arm still in place, his hand wrapped around Catelyn’s upper arm.

“Cat’s been having a tough time since Ned’s arrest,” he says.

Catelyn nods.  “I haven’t been sleeping well,” she murmurs.

Before Brienne can say anything, there’s a knock on the door, and Bronna opens it to usher Pia Peckledon into the room.  Pia hesitates when she sees the others at the table.

“Dr. Peckledon,” Jaime says, standing, “so good of you to come on such short notice.”

Pia gives him a hesitant smile and sits at the table across from the others, nodding at Petyr in greeting.

“Good,” Brienne says, her voice brisk, “we’re all here.”

She pulls the stack of files in front of her closer.

“As most of you know,” Brienne says, “Arya asked us to look into the case against her father.  The trail led us to the Vale, then back here to King’s Landing.”

Catelyn blinks hazy blue eyes.  “I’m not sure I understand,” she mumbles.

“Are you saying you found evidence that our father’s guilty?” Sansa says, her voice high and thin with barely contained grief.

Brienne shakes her head and smiles.  “While we learned embezzlement was happening, it was most definitely not your father.  In fact, the method by which money was being stolen from the Baratheon Corporation was exactly the same as the method by which money was being stolen from the museum.”

Pia sucks in sharp breath.  “Jos again?  But how?”

Jaime shakes his head.  “It wasn’t Jos the first time.”

Pia gapes, her forehead wrinkled with a frown, then realization slowly dawns and she spins to stare at Petyr.  Petyr, for his part, doesn’t flinch, his smile never changing.

“I don’t know why Pia’s looking at me like that,” he says with a soft chuckle.  “I had nothing to do with either crime.”

“Well, the trail of financial transactions would beg to differ,” Jaime purrs. 

Brienne opens the top file and takes out a spreadsheet and passes it over to him.  She says, “This is a sample of what we’ve found.  It maps out the path from just one of the bogus companies you set up, to the contract, to the invoice, to the bank account.”

Petyr lifts an eyebrow.  “A bogus company I set up?”

Jaime shrugs.  “You and your accomplices, of course, if you wish to share the glory.  Or the blame.”

Baelish’s expression doesn’t change.

Brienne taps the stack of folders in front of her and says, “We have all the connections in here for the embezzlement in the Baratheon Corporation.  We’ve traced all the steps a contract needs to go through to be approved and signed, and then all the steps an invoice goes through in order to be paid.  You did a good job of covering your tracks, Petyr, but in the end, all the trails go through you.”

Baelish laughs.  “Of course it does; I’m the Chief Financial Officer!  I may be guilty of not catching the embezzlement but that doesn’t make me the thief!”

“On the face of it, no...only the MO for the embezzlement is exactly the same as the MO used at the museum, where you were once again the Chief Financial Officer who was apparently oblivious to the massive theft happening under your nose, even after the auditors pointed out suspicious activity.”

For the first time, Petyr looks startled.  “Auditors?”

Brienne pulls out another piece of paper and slides it across the table.  “That is a copy of an e-mail sent to you while you were Chief Financial Officer of the museum.  Attached to that e-mail was the final version of the auditors’ report.  The final report on file at the museum is significantly different than this attachment, and when we checked with the auditors, they confirmed that was not the report they presented to you, nor was it the report you and Illyrio Mopatis responded to.  Surprisingly--or mayhaps not--Josmyn Peckledon was accused of embezzlement just before the next audit was due to begin.”

Petyr’s smile is gone.  “That proves nothing.  And where did you get this?”

Jaime shrugs.  “Where we got it doesn’t matter.  As for whether it proves anything…maybe it does or maybe it doesn’t.  However, this is the exact same pattern of activities that’s been happening at the Baratheon Corporation.”

Pia says, “Wait, wait, wait--are you truly suggesting Jos is innocent?”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Petyr says, his voice rising for the first time.  “The evidence was clear against him, including the bank accounts in his name in the Summer Isles.  If this is happening at the Baratheon Corporation as well, then…” He falters for a moment, thinking quickly.

“So, Jos was bright enough to embezzle millions, but not bright enough to have the bank accounts in another name?” Brienne says.

Petyr shrugs.  “How would I know how stupid a thief may be?  I’m not a criminal.”

Jaime leans forward.  “We both know that’s not true,” he murmurs.  His eyes flicker to Catelyn and then to Sansa.  “What are you giving Catelyn?”

Catelyn slowly blinks.  “I haven’t been sleeping well lately,” she murmurs, “and I’m very tired.”

Brienne’s vision literally turns red as the tight control she’s been keeping on her rage slips.  “You _bastard_ ,” she spits at Baelish.

“Petyr’s been nothing but helpful,” Catelyn says, but there’s no passion in her voice.

Sansa looks terrified and Arya’s hands grip the edge of the table so tightly, Brienne wonders if she’s going to crack the oak.

Baelish simply smiles.  “You have no proof of anything in there,” he says with a nod at the files in front of Brienne, “and I don’t need to stay here and listen to any more of this nonsense.”  He pushes back his chair and helps Catelyn to her feet.  “Let’s go, Cat.”

They head for the door, Sansa and Arya close behind, but Baelish stops in his tracks when Jaime says, “Who took the pictures for you, Petyr?”

Both Sansa and Arya pull in hissing breaths while Petyr slowly turns.

“What pictures?” he asks.

“The pictures of you and Catelyn.”

Sansa’s shoulders hunch then relax as Arya says in strident tones, “Those don’t exist!”

“There are pictures,” Brienne says, her voice kind, “but I doubt your mother even knew about them, let alone consented to them.”

Arya’s mouth slowly sags open then she spins towards Baelish.  “You _bastard_!”  Her fist connects with Baelish’s nose, blood spurting out.  “Have you raped her as well as drugged her into submission?”

Pia and Sansa scream, and Catelyn makes muted protesting noises but otherwise does nothing to help Petyr as he staggers away, hand to his face to staunch the bleeding.

“Oh for the gods’ sake,” Brienne mutters.  Jaime pulls Arya away from Baelish while Brienne hands Baelish tissues and separates him from the other Stark women.

“I see your impulse control is as strong as ever, Arya,” Jaime murmurs. 

“Oh, fuck off!” Arya spits as the door bursts open and Bronna rushes in.  She takes one look at the situation and relaxes.

“I’ll get some ice,” she says, and Brienne nods.

Baelish is warily watching them all as he holds tissues to his nose.

“We’ll talk about this when we get home, Arya,” he says, his voice nasal and soggy.

“You.  Are not.  My father!” she growls.

“Arya,” Sansa says, “ _please_.”

Arya turns on her.  “You just shut up!  You see what’s happening with Mother and yet you’ve done nothing!  What the fuck happened while the two of you were in Winterfell?”

Sansa flushes then pales and turns away.  The silence that follows is suddenly tense and fragile.

“ _No..._ ” Arya breathes and there’s a wealth of meaning in the word.

Sansa’s eyes are filled with tears and shame as she glances at Arya then away.

Jaime tightens his grip on Arya’s shoulder as he says, his eyes steady on Baelish, “The pictures aren’t of Catelyn at all, are they?  That’s why you haven’t actually given them to the media.”

Brienne says, slowly, “And that’s why Ned hasn’t protested his innocence.  You’ve implicated Sansa in some way, haven’t you?”

Sansa gasps and says, “Father doesn’t know!”

There’s a flash of something in Petyr’s eyes and Brienne says, “Your father knows.  He may not know everything, but he knows he needs to protect you and the rest of his family.”

Baelish glares at them over the bloody tissues he’s still holding to his nose.  “You have nothing.”  The venom in his voice is blurred by the wet, nasally tone of his voice.

“We have Sansa’s words right now,” Brienne says, her voice cold. “We have Catelyn, drugged to within an inch of her life.  Are you using the same thing on her that you used on Lysa?”

“My word against a naive girl’s,” Baelish growls, “and I have witnesses to prove that whatever went on between us was consensual.”

Sansa’s shoulders hunch higher as she ducks her head, shame radiating off of her.

“Convenient,” Jaime says, his voice dry, “but how you’ve used the pictures is obviously not consensual.”

Pia says, “What about the embezzlement?  What about Jos?”

“There’s no evidence I was involved in that, either,” Petyr growls.

“There will be,” Brienne says.  “We’ve already talked to the Gold Cloaks, and they’ve agreed to look further into the situation.”

Baelish scoffs.  “Tarly would never take your word for it.  He knows you’re close to the Stark family.”

“You’re right,” Brienne says, nodding, “but he did take Harys Swyft’s word for it.”

Baelish’s eyes widen.  “What?”

“Turns out your accomplice wants to stay out of jail even more than he wants to be rich.  Swyft has already made a full confession to the Eyrie’s City Watch, and that’s been shared with the Gold Cloaks.  Given the new evidence he’s provided, the police are going to re-look at the case against Josmyn Peckledon, and, quite honestly, I have no doubt they’re going to discover he’s as innocent as Eddard Stark.”

Baelish glares at them then spins round to yank the door open and rush out of the boardroom.  The rest of them have barely made it through the door when they hear a meaty thump and a thud as a body hits the floor.

They rush around the corner to find a triumphant-looking Jos rubbing his knuckles and standing over Petyr Baelish, sitting on the floor with a nose once again pouring blood.

“Jos!” Pia gasps.

He looks up, still glaring, but his expression softens as he sees her.

“Jos!” she says again and flies to him, throwing herself into his arms.

Jaime and Brienne turn as two uniformed Gold Cloaks walk into the office.  Their jaws drop as they take in the scene.

Jaime shakes his head.  “It’s a long story.”

*/*/*/*/*


	6. Epilogue

***/*/*/*/***

They take Catelyn to the hospital first, where the doctors run blood tests and admit her for observation.  Once they know she’s safe, they troop to the police station, where it takes several hours to answer all their questions.

Sansa tearfully tells them about a night at Winterfell where Petyr took her out for dinner and drinks, and the next thing she knew, she was waking up naked beside an equally naked Petyr.  He seemed as appalled as she was and agreed to never mention it again.  She believed him and was grateful…at least until he told her about the pictures just before her father was arrested.

Sansa has never seen the pictures, so she honestly doesn’t know if they truly exist, or if the photos are of her or her mother.  Every time she confronted Petyr over the last few weeks, he’s threatened to release the pictures to the media.  Sansa didn’t know where to turn, and was positive if she told anyone else in the family, it would only make things worse.

Baelish is taken into custody for drugging Catelyn while Tarly—obviously torn between relief Ned might actually be innocent and resentment that Jaime and Brienne helped crack the case—reopens the investigation into the embezzlement.  Jaime murmurs into Brienne’s ear that it at least keeps Baelish where they can find him.

Jos is also arrested, and takes his leave of a tearful Pia, but with the hope that he won’t be in prison for long.

It’s agreed by everyone involved to try and keep the tabloid press in the dark for as long as possible, although they have no doubt the news will leak out despite their best efforts.  Robb and Jon Snow consider taking Bran, Rickon, and Sweet Robin to the Summer Isles in the hopes of keeping them out of the media spotlight.  In the end, though, the older Stark children decide they will all stay in King’s Landing until their father is cleared.

With Harys Swyft’s help, the Gold Cloaks now know where to look for evidence in the embezzlement at the Baratheon Corporation.  They acquire the information legally, and their own forensic accountants confirm what Jaime and Brienne’s contacts had discovered.  The police also re-examines the embezzlement at the museum, and although it takes a few weeks, both Jos and Ned are finally released into a firestorm of reporters and cameras and screaming headlines.

Most importantly, they’re released into the arms of the people who love them.

*/*/*/*/*

When then media frenzy calms, Pia calls and invites Jaime and Brienne to join her and Jos at the most exclusive restaurant in town, as a thank you for clearing Jos’ name.  When they meet, Pia’s pretty face is glowing so much with happiness that Brienne worries the woman is going to burst into flame whenever she looks at Jos.

“I can’t pay you,” Jos is saying as they’re seated at their table and are handed menus, “but now that I’m back on staff at the museum, I can at least treat you to a great meal.”

“There’s no need,” Brienne says.  “We’re just glad we were able to clear your name.”

“Well, that deserves more than we can ever repay,” Pia says.

“Even if I could pay you,” Jos says, “it would never be enough.  I’ll be forever in your debt, and if you ever need anything—anything at all—let me know, and I’ll move all seven hells to get it for you.”

Jaime’s smile is teasing.  “Careful what you promise, Jos!  I have expensive tastes.”

They order wine then lift their glasses in a toast once the waitress leaves with their orders.

“To proving my innocence,” Jos says.

“To having my husband home again,” Pia says.

“To a job well done,” Jaime says.

“To the downfall of Petyr Baelish,” Brienne says, and they clink their glasses together in perfect harmony.

#####


End file.
